Implications of Habermas's “theory of communicative action” for corporate brand management

Abstract

Purpose

The authors propose applying Habermas's “theory of communicative action” (TCA) to discuss the benefits of incorporating the concept of interaction in the field of corporate brand management. The purpose of this paper is to gain suggestions for interactions derived from Jürgen Habermas's social theory.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper refers to Habermas's TCA in terms of its implication for stakeholder interactions within corporate brand management. Based on review of the sociological literature of Habermas's TCA, this approach offers a more detailed picture of corporate brand management. Bodies of literature are selected, examined and the TCA has been connected to corporate brand management to provide a research background and a managerially useful insight of human interactions.

Findings

The social theory of the German social‐philosopher Jürgen Habermas provides certain starting points for classifying interactions. The paper introduces Habermas's proposed forms of human action. Furthermore, it relates to the cognitive, moral‐expressive and aesthetic‐expressive knowledge interest areas, Habermas's validity claims of communicative actions as well as context and world relations.

Research limitations/implications

The study of Habermas's TCA considers one stream in sociological theory. Other theories may provide further insights for corporate brand management.

Practical implications

The paper shows managerially useful implications for managing stakeholder interactions within corporate brand management. Management can use the developed patterns of thought as a starting point for managing interactions with stakeholders.

Originality/value

The paper introduces Habermas's TCA within the field of corporate brand management. Moreover, it facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of implications for managing interactions within the field of corporate brand management.

Citation

Kernstock, J. and Oliver Brexendorf, T. (2009), "Implications of Habermas's “theory of communicative action” for corporate brand management", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 389-403. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280910998745